About Charcoal

Explains the various types of charcoal and even how to start a fire and make charcoal.

What is charcoal

Mainly refers to fuel that has been carbonized. Few people call it charcoal, even if the food is charred and carbonized.
Characteristically, unlike burning firewood, it does not generate a flame easily, has stable fire power, has little smoke, and has no odor. It can be burned even when oxygen is low, and it has a lot of far infrared rays, making it a perfect fuel for cooking. Unlike firewood, it does not have water so you can cook it deliciously without transferring water to the dish.

Uses other than fuel

It is used in many places other than fuel as it has a deodorizing effect, so it is used to remove odors or as activated carbonWater Filter It is also used for.
The charcoal that is put in cooked rice to remove the odor of squeeze, or put in oil for deep-fried food, and the charcoal that was placed for deodorization has become popular as an interior.
It is not recommended because it will absorb components other than odor when cooked with rice.

The deodorizing effect disappears when used for a long time, but it recovers even after boiling.

Also used in place of a pencil is a charcoal pencil. Charcoal is charcoal.
There is also apple charcoal, which is carbonized apple that is not a commodity.

Bomb

The sudden explosion during combustion is called a "bomb," and it must be noted that it flies violently and the sound is loud.
In some cases, it is powerful enough to cause injury.
White charcoal is often bombed, and black charcoal rarely happens.

Because charcoal contains water, it is necessary to be careful when using charcoal that contains water in the air after a long time since production.
It is better to store it together with a desiccant etc. when storing it after it has been used up.
Because rapid heating is one of the causes of bombs, there is also a method to prevent it by preheating it near the pilot fire to prevent it, or put a pilot flame on top and gradually ignite it.

White charcoal (Bincho charcoal)

White charcoal is a whitish charcoal that does not easily catch fire, but has good fire retention.
Produced at high temperature, most of the constituents are carbon.
Bincho charcoal is a type of white charcoal brand.

It's difficult to make, and long ones have charcoal that takes about two weeks to make. Since the component is almost carbon, the firepower, burning time, and stability exceed that of black charcoal, and it has little odor and is highly effective for water purification, deodorization, and dehumidification.
Unlike black charcoal, it has no bark.

It is used for dehumidification because it absorbs moisture in the air just by leaving it, but white charcoal used as fuel also contains moisture because it has been a long time since it was produced. More smoke and more likely to cause a bomb.
There are many charcoals that have already absorbed water even in retail products, and there is no workaround other than purchasing directly from the factory.
When storing, seal with a desiccant etc. and store.

Because it is difficult to catch fire, it is common to throw it in while burning black charcoal and firewood.

Bincho charcoal

Bincho charcoal is one of the brands of white charcoal and is a Japanese charcoal that uses Ubamegashi. The product name, not the species name.
It's okay to think that it is a high rank species of white charcoal.
It seems that Binchu charcoal is a charcoal made by a person called Binchu Yachozaemon.

Please be aware that there are many counterfeit items, such as giving a product name such as “○○ Bincho charcoal”, and even overseas products such as Bincho charcoal.

Black charcoal

Black charcoal is a kind of black charcoal that is easy to catch fire but has poor fire retention.
It is produced at a temperature of 300-500°C or less than white coal, and other components than carbon remain.

Since it contains a lot of components other than carbon, it is easy to ignite and there are few bombs. Unlike white charcoal, many have bark and many cracks.
If you use charcoal for cooking in a solo camp apart from a bonfire, black charcoal is also effective.

When you make charcoal by yourself, it is basically black charcoal.

Bamboo charcoal

Charcoal made from bamboo is often used for deodorization and dehumidification.

Since the surface area is 2 to 3 times that of charcoal, it is often used as a living aid, and it is difficult to ignite as a fuel and does not last long.
A mysterious charcoal whose temperature changes depending on what odor it deodorizes.

Sawdust coal

Sawdust coal is charcoal manufactured from sawdust.
Performance is similar to white charcoal.

Since it is artificially molded, it has a square or hexagonal shape, and many have a hole in the center.
Ignitability and longevity vary depending on the type of original tree, so it cannot be said unequivocally, but there are almost no bombs.

Is "Oga Binchotan" the same manufacturing method? Please note that it is not Bincho charcoal just to say.

Coconut charcoal

Charcoal made from palm shells.
It has a unique smell.

Charcoal is drawing attention from the perspective of ecology of not cutting trees rather than the feeling of use during combustion.
Articles used as fuel are molded, and in other applications, they are mostly granular.

Coal breaker

Briquettes are fuels made from coal or charcoal. Basically, a dedicated stove is used.

Because it is formed charcoal, it has a uniform shape with multiple ventilation holes. It is sized to fit in a dedicated stove.
The firepower and fire retention are superior to charcoal. The amount of carbon monoxide emitted is also large, so use with caution near the tent entrance may cause carbon monoxide to accumulate in the tent, so be careful.
In addition to fuel, there are also briquettes used for heating.

A briquette is formed by molding briquettes into beans. There are some products that call charcoal the same shape as charcoal, but I am not sure if it should be called charcoal.

Ignition method

It usually takes 10 to 30 minutes after ignition of charcoal before it can be used for cooking.
Since white charcoal also requires ignition power to ignite, it is possible to use burned black charcoal instead of an ignition agent.
Some charcoal contains an ignition agent in advance, and the charcoal is easily lit with a lighter.

Basically ignition material, firearm, charcoal starter, gas torch
Although there is a method of igniting by setting fire with firewood or picked up branches, ashes may remain, so it is better to blow them off with a fire stick before cooking.

KAKA-TOJO

There is a word from ancient times, saying "KAKA-TOJO". It is a legend of how to ignite charcoal.
In summer, put the seeds on the bottom and in winter put the seeds on the top.
There is a theory that in winter, heat is taken from the ground and it takes time to ignite, so there is a theory that fire is placed on top.

How to make charcoal

Black charcoal can be made individually.
Because charcoal becomes charcoal when wood is incompletely burned.
Put it in a closed container with a small hole to let smoke escape and heat it. There is also a way to do it.

Because the water content of the tree will be reduced, it will be much smaller, so use a thick tree.
If you try to make it yourself, it will be difficult and difficult to make well, and you will find that considerable skill is required, so let's use charcoal carefully.